TV1. BIG LOVE Big news: For its subtle writing and peerless acting (we’re pulling for you come Emmy time, Grace Zabriskie!), Love is renewed for a fourth season on HBO. If it could also find a place in your hearts and on your DVR that’d be right nice too.

MUSIC2. ”CRACK A BOTTLE,” Eminem featuring Dr. Dre and 50 Cent Eminem raises expectations for his upcoming album with a single that’s vintage Slim Shady, and so much the better for it. Wildly offensive, and wittily lyrical with a sing-songy hook, ”Crack a Bottle” could be his comeback track. Plus, how’s this for a reunion? Em, Dre, and 50, together again.

TV3. THE AMAZING RACE We just want to see if School of Rock’s Mike White and his gay dad can beat the pretty teams, like the cheerleaders and the flight attendants. (See review)

GADGET4. Amazon’s KINDLE 2 With seven times more memory and a nifty voice feature that lets you turn any book into a book on tape, the new Kindle could set the lit world ablaze.

MOVIES5. ISLA FISHER in ‘Confessions of a Shopaholic’ We’d thought rampant consumerism was out of fashion. That is, until we caught Fisher’s effervescent turn as a ravenous brand-name addict who’s trying to pull out of a credit-card debt spiral. (Hey, join the club.) With her wacky comedic timing and designer bag full of heart, Fisher might be just the stimulus plan that we’re looking for. (See review)

TV6. ORANGUTAN ISLAND on Animal Planet If Meerkat Manor was a Mob drama, Orangutan Island is more like a high school soap. Under watchful human eyes, the students of Forest School 103 (like popular girl Cha Cha and dweeby Jordan) learn the social and survival skills they’ll need before facing the real world. What’s next, Gossip Gorilla?

TV7. JON & KATE PLUS 8 TLC’s Plus 8 are cuties, but it’s the Jon & Kate part that keeps us glued. Is he henpecked? Is she for real? How do they stay sane? (Answers: maybe, yep, and we’ve been watching for ages and still can’t quite figure it out.)

BOOKS8. CUTTING FOR STONE, by Abraham Verghese First-time novelist Verghese might just have one of the best books of the year. (See review) The story is small married doctors adopt twins but the scope of the saga is nothing less than epic.

DVD9. FRIDAY THE 13TH UNCUT on DVD What could possibly be so horrible that it gets axed from a classic horror flick? Find out! Purists can finally see the restored 10 seconds of footage and then watch Kevin Bacon bite it again for the 27th time.

READERS CHOICE*: TV10. JEREMY DAVIES on Lost As physicist Daniel Faraday perhaps the only one who has a clue what’s happening on the Island Davies stands out in an infinitely compelling cast. Faraday’s time-travel theories are head-spinners, but the curiosity Davies brings to the role makes us want to follow…wherever this goes. —Jennifer

READERS CHOICE*: TV15. AMERICAN IDOL Hollywood Week Every year it’s the shortest segment, but it’s the best. The singing is better, and it’s the last time we see the contestants before they become robots in front of the camera to get votes. The meltdowns, the straightforward critiques, the group dynamics…this is why I still watch AI. —Andie